Rio County Commissioners discussed the status of FEMA reimbursements and the county’s approach to repairing critical low‑water crossings damaged in recent flood events.
Nut graf: County staff said FEMA has pending reimbursements for debris removal and emergency repairs but that larger mitigation and reimbursement payments likely will arrive in FY26, meaning the county must prioritize urgent local repairs now.
The county’s emergency management and public-works representatives said Category A (debris removal) reimbursements are pending and Category B (emergency repairs) submissions total about $7,080,000 and are under FEMA review. “This may come as a surprise to you, but they canceled that phone call with us,” one county official said about FEMA’s scheduling; staff described national FEMA backlogs and slower responsiveness as a factor.
Commissioners warned that some low‑water crossings and dead-end roads are not safely passable after the floods and require immediate county funding rather than waiting for FEMA. A commissioner said some crossings “are dead ends, and there's no way for the people to get out,” and staff said those locations are on the county priority list for internal funding and for projects already in department budgets.
Ending: Staff said they expect at least one FEMA check in the current fiscal year and larger reimbursements in FY26; commissioners directed road and bridge leadership to include critical low‑water crossing repairs in the FY26 budget where FEMA reimbursement is uncertain.